Pyre
by Big Albowski
Summary: Futurefic: The murder of a friend leads Clark to a confrontation with Lex.


Disclaimer: Smallville does not belong to me and I am making no money off this.  
  
Pyre  
  
"Here I am, Clark. Come on. take me in. My attorneys will have me out by before the day is over."  
  
Lex sat back comfortably in his office chair. His victory had been costly. The supply of kryptonite he had access to was destroyed. All he had left was the ring he wore. The ring that now kept Clark at a comfortable distance. He reveled at the despair on Clark's face.  
  
"It's become so easy Clark. Like pulling the wings off of a fly."  
  
Lex stared calmly into the eyes of his greatest enemy. Clark had greater weaknesses than kryptonite. Love, morality, honor, loyalty. goodness. The last word almost made Lex want to laugh. He had not become this powerful by relying on such outdated characteristics.  
  
"The sheer pleasure of this moment was worth destroying all that kryptonite in that explosion. I had to be sure you couldn't do anything to stop it."  
  
This is the trophy Lex wanted. Clark standing there, his eyes welling up with tears that refused to fall. The all-powerful Superman, broken and beaten. His uniform and cape in tatters. It had taken him years to systematically tear down his foe. The fortune he had created was not meant to secure him a better living. It was a resource for war. Now, with victory at hand, he still wanted more.  
  
Lex reached for a remote on his desk and pointed it over his shoulder. The paneling behind him began to rise up into the ceiling revealing a huge plasma screen built into the wall. On the screen, a video began to play. A woman and seven children huddled together in a large cage. The woman was trying to comfort the children. Lex and Clark could hear the frightened sobs of the children. The woman's words of comfort could not hide her own fear.  
  
"Don't be scared sweethearts, I'm sure Superman will save us."  
  
Lex never took his eyes off Clark. Tears finally began falling down Clark's cheeks as he watched the events of several hours ago. Lex couldn't suppress the smirk.  
  
"Superman crying. How. un-heroic of you."  
  
The woman on the video began to shout.  
  
"Help, Superman, help."  
  
Only a few moments passed before they heard a crash from the speakers.  
  
"I spent quite a bit on this system. Clear picture and surround sound. Almost like being there. Worth every penny. It has picture in picture too."  
  
Lex pushed another button and a second picture appeared on the screen. It was another angle. A section of the large warehouse door was blown inward. Clark then saw himself appear on screen.  
  
"Here you come to save the day. So predictable."  
  
The woman and children seemed relieved to see Superman. Lex pushed another button changing the screen back to one scene. The camera had zoomed out showing a wider angle of the room. Superman began running towards the cage and then collapsed as the bars began to glow green. He was within fifteen feet of the cage. The children began shouting for him.  
  
"Get up Superman!" "What's wrong Superman?" "Help us, please!"  
  
Clark saw himself suffering from the effect of the kryptonite. He saw himself trying to crawl closer to the cage despite the agony. The angle changed again. It was a close up of the woman. The image froze.  
  
"You thought you could hide her from me? Just how stupid are you? Oh, it took some searching. Greased a few palms here and there. Some people would sell their mother's soul to me for what I spend on a good bottle of wine." Lex could not help but smirk at that. "It was a good plan. Actually, I'm surprised she agreed to it. Give up her name, her life, and her career, to hide from me. I mean, running an adoption agency is a noble choice, but it wasn't her true passion. However, it did pay off for me in the end. Killing the kids actually added some spice to the dish."  
  
Clark's eyes could not leave the woman's face. The face he would never see again. The face of the woman he had promised to protect from this war with Lex. He failed her and the children she had been caring for.  
  
"She was just beginning to fill that void in your heart, wasn't she? The one Lois' death left behind." He glanced at the screen and then back to Clark. "She was beautiful wasn't she? Did you ever tell her that you loved her?" Lex could see the regret in his eyes. "No, I can see you didn't. Always hesitant when it came to her. You were a fool, Clark. And now, that chance is gone for good. You have nobody left. They are all gone. Your parents, Lois, Lana, Pete, Perry, Jimmy. everyone you ever cared about. Casualties of a twenty-year war neither of us wanted but were destined to fight. She was the last one I knew I could use to hurt you. REALLY hurt you!"  
  
The venom of the last statement snapped Clark out of his haze. Lex was right. She was the last one he could use against him. He had lost everyone who meant anything to him. His parents died in financial ruin. Lois, Perry, and Jimmy had died in a fire at the Daily Planet while he was helping victims of a flood in Texas. A story linking LexCorp to several environmental disasters never saw the light of day. Pete and Lana Ross were lost in a plane crash while campaigning for re-election. The flood of sympathy helped Lex to four more years in the White House. Lex had benefited from each incident but could not be linked to any wrongdoing, but this was different. This was an act of cold-blooded murder committed only because it would cause him pain. She was dead only because she meant something to him.  
  
Clark now locked eyes with Lex. The eyes of the man that had once been his friend now seemed inhuman. As corrupt and immoral as Lex had been in his life, this was the first time Clark had seen true evil in him. Not only had he brutally murdered her, but innocent children as well. There was no remorse. There was only darkness. This monster that now stood before him had replaced his friend from so long ago.  
  
He saw Lex push the remote once more and turned to watch the screen. The still image began to play slow motion. The woman's face slowly began to exhibit a look of terror. The image began to brighten as her face began slowly contorting from terror to pain. Flames began to envelop her face and hair until the screen was filled with only a bright light.  
  
Lex turned back to once again to taunt Clark. The look of despair was gone. Clark's eyes now looked back with a rage that surprised even Lex. Clark took a couple of steps toward him but stopped due to the effects of the kryptonite. Lex' ring was made of the purest sample of the element ever found on Earth. Though the stone was small, Clark could not get within twenty-five feet of him without feeling ill. Lex had designed this huge office just for such meetings with him. Lex knew 'keeping your enemies closer' did not apply to Superman.  
  
The telephone on Lex' desk rang. He picked up the receiver. "Send them up." He placed the receiver back down. "It seems the police are here. I hope this doesn't take long. It has been a long day."  
  
Clark stood at the edge of the effects of the kryptonite, his anger intensifying. Lex was right. No matter what evidence could be brought against him, Lex would never see the inside of prison. This crime would go unpunished, as have all the others he has perpetrated. This man has become the most vile being Clark has dealt with and he has been powerless to stop him. The system had failed him every time he tried to bring Lex to justice. Everyone Clark loved is gone because of it. Then he had another thought:  
  
'What do you do when truth, justice and the American way are no longer worth fighting for?'  
  
The last things Lex noticed were the distortion in the air in front of Clark and the drastic increase in the temperature.  
  
Clark continued the flow of his heat vision even after Lex' body had been vaporized. The desk, chair and the video screen were erupting in flame. A moment later, two police detectives burst into the room. A wall of intense heat stopped them from coming too far into the office.  
  
"Superman?" No response. "SUPERMAN!" the detectives shouted louder.  
  
Clark stopped his heat vision and turned to the detectives. "Evacuate the building." The detectives stared for a moment in disbelief. "I said start evacuating the building, NOW!"  
  
The two men turned and left the office. Clark turned back to the blaze. The sprinkler system in the office was doing little to control the flames. Clark raised his arms and willed himself to fly. He burst through the ceiling and a moment later he cleared the roof of the LexCorp building. He flew over to where he could get a view of the entire building. He began examining all the floors to determine the status of the evacuation. Within 15 minutes, he saw that the building was clear. Flames now completely engulfed the top four floors. Emergency crews had arrived and began their firefighting efforts.  
  
"Let it burn" he whispered. "Let it burn."  
  
The crowds that gathered would see Superman, hovering nearby, do nothing.  
  
FIN 


End file.
